School vacation can be intimidating for parents. With holiday break on the horizon, you're staring down an entire week-plus of unstructured time. To help fill the void, we've rounded up 30 holiday break activities for Long Island families from lingering must-do holiday events to visiting longtime favorite destinations, enjoying one-time events, or planning a little escape.

If you want to stay in, we've found some great any-day Zoom activities for kids and grandparents, plus fun games kids can play virtually with friends, and all the best online holiday events for families.

For most Long Island kids, Christmas break runs from Thursday, December 24, 2020, through Sunday, January 3, 2021. You can find even more Long Island happenings on our Event Calendar.

For a touch of holiday magic, it's hard to beat the joy on little ones' faces when they see the glow coming off a spectacular holiday light installation or drive-thru Christmas display.

We've rounded up a trio of our favorite holiday light shows and drive-thru Christmas lights displays on Long Island, and we also found three immersive winter wonderlands for families to walk through to surround themselves in festive holiday decor.

For more seasonal fun, see our Holiday Guide for Long Island Families. Our Events Calendar is also packed with up-to-date holiday activities for kids of all ages, including more holiday lights at private houses around Long Island.

If you're looking to get spooked this Halloween, Long Island is home to many haunted houses that are up to the task. While they range from the kid-friendly to the downright creepy, here we've rounded up a dozen spots offering child-friendly, socially distanced, not-too-spooky haunted houses and Halloween events for your consideration. So mask up and get out to enjoy these thrills and chills. Keep in mind that even the tamest of these can sometimes be too much for a more sensitive child, so come prepared with a backup plan in case your child needs to leave quickly.

If you're looking for something more low-key, there is plenty of Halloween-themed fun to be had at area pumpkin patches, and we've got tons more seasonal fun in our Long Island Halloween Guide.